Oak Ridge airport proposal continues to take flight

Leean Tupper | leean.tupper@oakridger.com

Wednesday

Mar 21, 2012 at 12:01 AMMar 21, 2012 at 9:21 PM

The possibility of an Oak Ridge airport is one step closer -- though still a considerable ways off -- after the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority's Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a proposal to move forward with development plans for a general aviation airport in the local Heritage Center industrial park.

The possibility of an Oak Ridge airport is one step closer -- though still a considerable ways off -- after the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority's Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a proposal to move forward with development plans for a general aviation airport in the local Heritage Center industrial park.

The MKAA Board members met Wednesday afternoon at McGhee Tyson Airport. The Board members received an overview of the Oak Ridge airport proposal during a General Aviation Committee report prior to the board meeting.

The studies, conducted by The LPA Group Inc., looked at several factors and five sites provided by the Department of Energy and the Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee (CROET), officials said.

The preferred site -- located in Heritage Center industrial park on the city's west end -- will have an initial construction phase with a 5,000-foot runway and could impact two existing buildings in the park, LPA Group representatives said.

The projected cost of the initial development could be between $30 million and $40 million.

The next steps for the proposed plan will involve a justification study as well as an FAA airspace review study, both of which combined could take up to a year to complete.

Additionally, an environmental assessment and master plan, and the National Plan of Integrated Airport System (NPIAS) -- for future state and federal funding -- as well as the transfer of land from DOE will have to be completed, according to the draft timeline discussed Wednesday afternoon.

If the proposed project moves ahead according to the timeline, construction could begin by the end of 2017 and the airport could be operational by the end of 2021.

"This will benefit an area larger than just Oak Ridge," said Bill Marrison, president of MKAA. "This airport has a lot of potential."

Oak Ridge Mayor Tom Beehan, who attended Wednesday's meeting, said the proposed airport is "a great opportunity" for the city.

"This is a moment in time where a lot of agencies are coming together for something positive for the region. I'm excited about the potential this has," the mayor said.

"There are a lot of industrial parks, and every industrial park tries to market its strengths," said Oak Ridge National Laboratory deputy director Jeff Smith, who serves as a member of the MKAA Board of Commissioners and is also chairman of the Board's General Aviation Committee.

The proposed Oak Ridge airport would be inside the industrial park and close to many local industries -- as well as the federal facilities on the Oak Ridge Reservation. The airport could help boost the area's jobs, tourism, technology and research, Smith told The Oak Ridger.

The justification study -- the next step in the process -- will be funded by the MKAA and the state of Tennessee, officials said.

The MKAA has established a website devoted to the Oak Ridge Airport Initiative. To learn more, visit www.oakridgeairport.org.

Leean Tupper can be contacted at (865) 220-5501.

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